Erudite
by SunShark
Summary: Or 'The Tale of Vincent and Lucrecia, in 100 word snippets'. Because together, they would have been great.


I stayed up until 3am typing this up because the plot bunny wouldn't let me sleep and I really hope this turns out alright. None of the characters belong to me.

The story of Vincent and Lucrecia, in ten ~100 word snippets

* * *

The first time Vincent meets the girl, he's sneaking off to his basement lab and she's just _there_, and they crash into a pile on the floor. He scowls, torn between yelling at the girl and pulling her closer (and Shiva he _hates_ puberty), because he's trying to avoid all the numbskulls at the party, and _she's not helping_. It's then that the girl above him shifts, and his concentration scrambles. "Hey," she says, "Are you okay?" She waves a hand before his face, and he irritably waves it away, forcibly directing his mind to think how he can convince his parents not to pull him out of school (because it was _interesting_ there, much more so than counting money with father). The girl walks off in a huff (he can vaguely recall they go to the same school) and he ignores her in favor of his experiments.

* * *

The second time they meet, she saves Vincent from an accident of his own design. A stupid oversight really, leaving his acids in the same cabinet as his bases; and when the cabinet explodes and the floors melt and the girl's barely there chest pins him to the floor, he thinks of the mouse kidneys on his desk and how they must be contaminated beyond repair. When the girl helps him up and offers one of her own mouse kidneys to use, he only nods absently and gets to work. He would have loved to use the second kidney to confirm his results, but the girl apparently was far too efficient, and had finished at the same time (though he was pleased to note that her results matched his exactly).

* * *

The third time they meet, they exchange names. "I'm Lucrecia Crescent," the girl says. "Vincent Hojo," he says, "Pass me the Allemagne eye." And it's wonderful that he can say that because the girl – no, Lucrecia, is breathtakingly competent, more so than anyone he's ever met, and extracts the monster eye with ease. And when she passes it to him, slime dripping from where their gloved fingers touched, he makes a note to always partner with her for research. Because he was brilliant and she was brilliant, and together they will be_ radiant_.

* * *

Its unfortunate that they only work a few short years together in Shinra before they part ways. Very unfortunate really, because he had just snagged an internship under Professor Gast Faremis, and would have snagged one for her as well had he not been waylaid by Malchior Shinra (technically his superior and just as fat as he'd been as a child). As it is, she apprentices herself under Dr. Grimoire Valentine, a competent enough scientist he supposes, and Vincent graciously allows his partner some time away for her own research (because of course she will come back, who else could inspire her mind like he could?).

* * *

Under Professor Gast, he becomes Hojo, _Dr._ Hojo, and it sounds wonderfully official. Even better when Lucrecia says it, and he'll reply by addressing her as _Dr._ Crescent as they pour over the ancient texts hoarded at Icicle Inn (and they're together again, and he very nearly smirks at Valentine's fate. He refrains, because the info is confidential and Lucrecia _still_ gets annoyingly upset over that name). Gast is quickly outgrowing his usefulness, and he wonders how much longer it would be before _he_ claims the position of head scientist. He wonders if Lucrecia would prefer to be his assistant or his co-head.

* * *

The innkeeper gives birth, and all the women around Hojo go insane. The creature is tiny, shriveled, and _loud_, and he wonders how Lucrecia could stand it. She professes scientific curiosity of course. "Think about it," she says, "there are so many ways a person can die, but only one way to be born. It's a singularly unique and utterly necessary process of all creation." He begs to differ. He could certainly _create_ one himself, given enough time. But, as he ponders the wonder dashed across her face, he wouldn't mind some help.

The next day they find Jenova, and everyone goes back to normal, thank Bahamut.

* * *

They're reassigned to Nibelheim, but not before Hojo's promoted and put in charge of his team, Dr. Lucrecia among them. The Turks are irritating as ever, and while he would dearly love to have one stretched across his operating table, they actually have a use at the moment. In the mean time he immerses himself in Jenova and its interaction with mako, and marvels in the odd shaped crystals that result. It's materia, mako purified and left until it solidifies, and he wonders oh so vaguely what would happen if the mako were filtered into a human instead (and the whispers in his mind say 'power', 'god', and he agrees).

* * *

Jenova and mako don't react well with animals. They don't react well with the few humans who volunteer to try it (because Malchior is stingy and won't send him more until he gets results). So it's a pleasant surprise when Lucrecia comes up and romances him. Hojo won't deny her a social experiment (though the way she won't call him 'Vincent' is a little odd) and plays his part with interest, and they're married within two months. When she gets pregnant, he offers to make their creation great (and from the two of them, how could it not be?), and she agrees. He takes the utmost care in refining Jenova, until its particles are no larger than a virus, and when he slips the needle into her uterus and caresses her growing belly, he almost feels content.

* * *

A Turk threatens him, and Hojo shoots it in the head. What's infuriating is how Lucrecia stumbles in, shouting for Vincent, and he realizes it's not him.

He takes great pleasure in 'fixing' the Turks body after that, and if it's been a while since he's indulged, who's going to stop him? He's getting results and finally gets those extra test subjects, so he decides to splurge and put three demons into the body instead of just two.

One day the body disappears and so does the woman's research. (If he's not as gentle as he could have been during the birthing process, she only has herself to blame for such foolishness, while the whispers croon to them all).

* * *

Project S is Hojo's greatest creation yet. It responds well to Jenova's cells as well as to physical testing, and he's certain that one day it will be a god among men. (And Jenova shall be its mother, and the world will tremble under their might and it will be _magnificent_).

* * *

And I hope you enjoyed that, because it was a pleasure to write! Please review!


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